Keppinger and Lindstrom are available, if anyone wants them

According to a front office source, FanHouse's Ed Price says the Astros are making Keppinger and Lindstrom available in an effort to further cut payroll.

McTaggart says payroll will be around $70 million, down from over $90 million last year. Why is it being trimmed further? According to Price, because of the impending sale of the franchise.

Yeah, the $4-5 million that Lindstrom and Keppinger will make combined is the problem with the payroll...

UPDATE: There may be a better reason out there. As AstroBrit and 77340fan have pointed out, coming on the heels of the "Astros interested in Hardy" note, dealing Keppinger could move Barmes to second, and sign Hardy. Excellent point. One to keep an eye on...

Ed Price: Two individual sources saying Singleton is in the deal

Ed Price has two independent sources (not involved in the trade) saying that Jonathan Singleton is, in fact, part of the Roy trade.

Well, this complicates things

Ed Price of FanHouse is tweeting:

Hearing possible Ted Lilly for JA Happ deal. NOT confirmed.

Smilin' Ken Rosenthal confirms:
Phillies have expressed interest in Cubs' Lilly. Dodgers, Twins, others in as well. Source: Mets "waiting on direction from above."

If the Mets are waiting on God, they shouldn't bother. God doesn't care about the Mets. The Phillies could be pushing the Astros around a little bit, here...

Meanwhile, Jon Heyman has further evidence the Phillies are either moving on, or pressuring the Astros:
Indians, Phillies talking trade. Westbrook, Carmona possibilities.

FanHouse: Some jerkface is telling other teams that Roy wants to go to St. Louis

FanHouse's Tom Fornelli is reporting on discussions between the Astros and other teams:

A source who speaks to Oswalt told FanHouse that Oswalt has a definite preference, and that it appears to be the St. Louis Cardinals.

According to the report a league executive with knowledge of what the Astros told an interested team -- possibly the Phillies -- Oswalt would prefer a trade to the Cardinals. The Cardinals have also expressed an interest in Oswalt as well, so a deal for the Astros ace that would put him in a rotation that already features Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright looks possible.

Roy is really starting to piss me off, here. He has to understand the position he is putting the Astros in. He's basically indicating that, while he'll waive his no-trade clause to go to Philadelphia, he would rather go to St. Louis.

While Roy may be f***ing clueless about how Astros fans feel about the Cardinals, the front office isn't (they're just clueless about other things). We fans who are obsessed with minutiae can stomach holding off on passing judgment until we see the package in return, but your everyday, Richard Justice-reading Astros fan will not. And while there may be 40,000 hardcore Astros fans in the world, they don't all go to 81 games at Minute Maid.

Sifting through these Philadelphia Roy-mors

Bunch of links to pull from to get a sense of what's actually happening with this Roy-to-Philadelphia mess, let's take a gander:

FanHouse's Ed Price:
The Phillies and Astros were said to be working on a trade that would send Roy Oswalt to Philadelphia, two major-league sources told FanHouse on Tuesday night, although the deal would then require Oswalt's approval. One source described the talks as "heavy."

Houston "may be close to putting the ball in [Oswalt's] court," the other source said, although he didn't think the trade was down to the finishing touches.

Price does not mention the possibility of a three-team trade, but says Jayson Werth would be the logical player to be moved to clear payroll space for Roy.

-

Bernardo Fallas:
The Astros are in advanced talks with the Philadelphia Phillies regarding a potential trade, a person familiar with the situation told the Chronicle on Tuesday night...

...Oswalt has a no-trade clause in his contract and would have to approve a trade. He told the Chronicle last week he would not rule out anybody that is a contender.

These are not just "Hey! The Twins should trade for Roy, or I'm gonna be pissed!" columns. These are MLB sources talking, here. So it seems like this is more serious than an article about what Omar Minaya had for breakfast.

The lynchpin of the deal is whether or not the Phillies are able to move Jayson Werth to clear payroll space for Roy. Top prospect Domonic Brown would replace Werth.

Interestingly enough, J.A. Happ had his rehab start limited to three innings, and is scheduled to pitch "Saturday or Sunday" in Philadelphia. Or somewhere else.

FanHouse: 60% Chance of Roy

The new Trade Deadline report from Fanhouse says that:

Don't bet on Roy Oswalt pitching somewhere other than Houston by the end of the month. One major league executive rated the chances of Oswalt staying with the Astros through the deadline and beyond at "60 percent."

Houston is apparently willing to offer some salary relief -- in the range of $4-5 million -- but it's unclear if that will be enough to entice most teams.

$4-5 million isn't going to cut it, if the Astros want any kind of prospects back for Roy. $10-12 million and this deal gets done.

Add this to the Convoluted Demands of the Astros

FanHouse's Ed Price says this about what he hears the Astros are wanting for Roy Oswalt:

Word is that the Astros would not only make the acquiring team pay all of Oswalt's salary -- the rest of his $15 million this year, $16 million next year and a $2 million buyout on the 2012 team option -- but also wants three major-league-ready young players in return.

It's possible that demand comes from owner Drayton McLane and not GM Ed Wade. Pretty steep price, and that doesn't even factor in Oswalt's full no-trade clause.

I don't know how much of this I believe. Jon Heyman said on July 2 that the Astros would be willing to eat some of Roy's contract. On July 1 the NY Daily News said the Astros wouldn't. On June 22 Drayton said he'd entertain it.

So. Who freaking knows?

Brad Mills is a champ

FanHouse's Ed Price gave Brad Mills some credit for not going crazy on the Astros in his first managerial stint.

Mills:
"I have no hair to pull. That was definitely an advantage of being bald."

Wade:
"When we hired him, we were excited. When we saw the way spring training went, we were excited. I'm more certain today than I was back then that he's the absolute right guy, because of the way he's handled the start that we got off to. It would have been very easy for him to sort of wear it on his sleeve: 'Oh my God, this is my first chance, and this is what's happening.' And none of that occurred."

Roy: Please God, Get Me Out of Here

FanHouse's Ed Price talked to Roy, since he was in New York, and all, and it was the easiest place to get a hold of him. And yes, Roy still wants out. Desperately.

"Location doesn't matter," Oswalt said Friday before the Astros played the Yankees, not at all backing off his request to be traded from Houston.

"I'm only there [a new team] a year and a half. [New York] is as good as any other city. Every city I go to is big. It's different from where I grew up."

Oswalt did say he wants to go to a team that "pretty much" is a sure thing to make the postseason this year.

Hey, Roy, since this is an easy question, what about the Yankees?

"From the very beginning, I said an organization that wants to win. The Yankees surely want to win. Actually, I'd be excited to pitch over here (in the AL). Everyone keeps bragging, or keeps saying, this league's tough.

Okay, so now we know that he's willing to go to the AL. But is it Roy's fault this is blowing up? Roy doesn't think so. This is a completely selfless, altruistic move:

"Everyone tries to put this all on me. This is for both of us, I think, personally. In the whole scheme of things, it would be best for both of us. I'm not planning on playing a whole lot longer. ... I would love to be in contention, to get back into the playoffs. The biggest thing with us is our minor leagues is kind of depleted. We don't have those guys coming from the minor-league side to push us. That's why I think it would be best for both of us."

The Chronicle has this, about Roy going to the Yankees:

“I think it'd be great. Me and Andy pitched together for three years and had a great time in Houston. We went to the World Series and missed it by a little bit, but he's a great teammate, always picks you up. Seems like everywhere he goes he wins.”

This is getting a little out of hand. It rubs me the wrong way, and I think we all know there is a right way and a wrong way to be rubbed. This is just...wrong. Appealing to the press on where he wants to go, and why, doesn't make me feel any better about how Roy has handled this entire process. I hope he does leave, and the Astros get some prospects, but Roy has gone - in my eyes - from one of the most-beloved Astros of all time to someone resembling an ungrateful malcontent.

Frankie Piliere's Final Mock Draft!

Over at FanHouse, Frankie Piliere posted his new, final Mock Draft!

#8: Josh Sale
The Astros appear to be pretty comfortable with taking Sale. They seem him as one of the top couple bats in the class and likely will not take the chance of waiting for him at 19th overall. Someone would surely take him somewhere in between.

#19: Michael Kvasnicka
The Astros like Kvasnicka as much as any club out there and have even considered him for the eighth overall pick. That likely won't happen, but they'd be thrilled to see him still in the mix the next time around. DeShields and Reggie Golden are possibilities also.

Oswalt wants to go to three teams. Wait, no he doesn't.

Ed Price of FanHouse had a report that Roy has a very particular list:

An official from another team said word going around is that Roy Oswalt would approve a trade only to the Phillies, Yankees or Cardinals.

But wait. McTaggart says it ain't so:

Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt, who's been the subject of numerous rumors and admitted last month he had requested a trade to a contender, said Wednesday he's not aware of a list of teams to which he would approve a trade.

Roy will get approximately $92,592 per game (that's $15m divided by 162) in 2010, and $98,765 per game in 2011. If he was traded today, there would be 108 games to play, plus 162 in 2011, and using this math - which could very well be flawed - the destination team would be required to pay Roy approximately $25,999,936 over the life of the current guaranteed contract, assuming the Astros don't pick up any of his salary.

So let's say he's not traded until 11:59 on July 31. The destination team would be on the hook for just ~$5.37m of this season, a savings of $4.5 million-ish. That's a decent savings for a team to wait on.

Frankie Piliere's new mock draft

Piliere put up an updated mock draft over at FanHouse today. Who does he have the Astros taking at #8 and #19?

#8: Michael Choice - OF, UT-Arlington
Despite rumors of Houston being in on prep players like Stetson Allie and Josh Sale at this spot, what I have heard is that Houston is looking for very signable guys and will look for a college bat in this spot. They'd like a chance at Josh Sale, but it seems like they'd rather have him at their second first-round pick. It's possible he could go here, but a college bat like Choice makes more sense, and they have scouted him heavily all spring. Brandon Workman has been mentioned here as well, if they do decide to go the pitching route. Aside from the Mets, they are the highest-picking team to show heavy interest in Kvasnicka, but word is they'd also prefer him at 19 rather than eight.

#19: Michael Kvasnicka - C/OF, Minnesota
Houston is very high on Kvasnicka and may even take him at No. 8, but that still appears unlikely. There's a lot out there about them looking into prep talents, but other clubs seem to think Houston is looking for easy-sign type players and college bats. They still could go with a prep bat here if the right guy is available or if Kvasnicka is gone. And, the reality is Kvasnicka has a very good chance to be gone.

Frankie Piliere's new Mock Draft

FanHouse's Frankie Piliere just posted his new mock draft, featuring the first full round. He has a live chat at 1pm Eastern today, if you want to debate him, but let's see who he has the Astros taking:

#8: Zack Cox - 3B, Arkansas
Not only is this a fit because Houston has been on Cox heavily all spring, but it's also a match because the Astros are a team that has been quiet and Cox is a player on which there seems to be no consensus. Some scouts have described Cox's defense as borderline "comical" and others believe in his bat enough to overcome that. Houston may be one of those teams. They are in on several guys for this spot, including Choice, Brandon Workman, and Josh Sale. They'd prefer a college arm but the ideal guy may not be there.

#19: Josh Sale - OF, Bishop Blanchett HS (WA)
Houston has shown heavy interest in Sale, but it seems to be leaning toward a safer, college pick at eighth overall. If Sale is still around this late, I expect the Astros to jump on him.

Mock Draft!

Frankie Piliere (former Rangers scout and national writer for FanHouse) has your latest Top 10 projections in the June draft. Where are the Astros looking at #8?

OF Michael Choice, UT-Arlington

No team in the top 10 has been as tight-lipped about its intentions as the Houston Astros. A college bat seems logical here; I don't see them grabbing a high school arm. If (Arkansas 3B Zack) Cox is available I can see them going there. It's hard to see Choice sliding any further than this spot.

Week Six Power Rankings!

Hardball Talk:
Astros: 29th
Richard Justice watches this team every day and he says that effort isn't the problem. Just talent. Cold comfort when you're as bad as the Astros are, but I guess it's enough to keep them out of the bottom slot for this week.

Fanhouse:
Astros: 30th
Even with Sunday's win, they've now lost 11 of 13 and Lance Berkman has said he'd accept a trade and if he were GM, he'd consider blowing the club up. Currently, their best offensive player is Michael Bourn, who's hitting .284/.366/.367. This team isn't just bad; they're hard to watch.

ESPN:
Astros: 30th
Astros pitchers could sure use a little help. Houston is last in the majors in hits, runs, doubles, total bases, RBIs, batting average, walks, on-base percentage and slugging. Oh, and 24th in fielding percentage.

FanHouse has some trade suggestions for Berkman

So this whole Berkman trade thing is causing a little stir in the media, mainly to see if Ed Wade will seize the chance he has been given to bring in prospects. FanHouse has some potential destinations:

The biggest problem for Berkman could be where he'd go in a trade. His contract is reasonable enough for a rental, $14.5 million this year with a $2 million buyout or $15 million option in 2011, but there are other factors. He's coming off of knee surgery and first basemen aren't in tremendous demand among contenders. For teams that do want to add a player at that position, Adrian Gonzalez and, potentially, Prince Fielder are younger options.

They'd cost more in terms of prospects, however, and that might make a team like the Giants interested in seeing what it would take to pry Berkman away from Houston. He's just old enough that Brian Sabean might be interested in buying the next four years of his career. A handful of AL teams come to mind too, but the Red Sox have to figure out what they're doing with David Ortiz and it's a bit too soon to know whether the A's, Rangers or Mariners are in the mix and/or willing/able to pay the freight.

If Berkman's knee proves sound, however, Wade should heed his player's advice and see what's out there in a deal. While he's at it he should see if there's any interest in Carlos Lee and Roy Oswalt because there's just as little reason to keep them around when the team should be focused on building for the future.

It would be interesting to see if the Astros make a team take Carlos Lee, in the same way that Florida made Boston take Mike Lowell in the Beckett trade.

Power Rankings! Week Four

The easy thing about Power Rankings this week? Just scroll down to the bottom to find the Astros:

FanHouse:
Astros - 30th
"After sweeping the Pirates to get to 8-10 eight days ago, the Astros ceased to play the Pirates and have now dropped six straight to the Reds and Braves. In those six losses, they only cracked the two-run barrier once. Never base an entire evaluation of a team on one series against the Pirates."

TSN Canada:
Astros - 29th
"Not good when the corner outfielders -- Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence -- have combined for a .236 on-base percentage."

The Sporting News:
Astros - 30th
The ever-streaky Astros' six-game skid has them back at the bottom.

ESPN:
Astros - 29th
During their current six-game losing streak, the Astros are averaging two runs per game against teams that have ERAs of 5.42 (Reds) and 4.10 (Braves).

Power Rankings!

Apparently five wins last week was worth five spots.

Hardball Talk:
Astros - 25th
Lance Berkman coming back made this team look a lot more respectable.

ESPN:
Astros - 25th
The Astros averaged 2.3 runs per game without Lance Berkman. Since his return from the DL, they are averaging 5.3.

FanHouse:
Astros - 20th
"The Astros are 8-2 after their 0-8 start. Sure, three of those wins came against the scuffling Pirates, but with Lance Berkman back in the lineup the 'Stros are on an undeniable tear. They don't play a team that's currently over .500 until the Padres at the end of next week, so there's no reason to think it can't continue for a least a bit longer."

Sporting News:
Astros - 21st
Houston roared out of last place in this poll by winning seven of eight, against the Cubs, Marlins and Pirates. Lance Berkman's return to the lineup has helped.

Power Rankings!

Entering Week Three, let's see how the "experts" see the Astros:

Sporting News:
Astros: 30th
The Astros have hit just three home runs as a team entering the week. Fifty players have at least three home runs this season.

FanHouse:
Astros: 29th
After their 0-8 start, the Astros are now 3-1 and are officially on a two-game winning streak after taking their weekend series in Wrigley Field. Lance Berkman is due back in the near future, as well, so it's not nearly as doom and gloom as it was for the 'Stros at this time last week. It's not all good news, either; Jeff Keppinger and Michael Bourn are the only two players hitting remotely well right now and Bud Norris' 3.52 ERA certainly won't stand if he keeps walking nearly a batter an inning.

ESPN:
Astros: 29th
Houston took two of three from the Cubs for its first series win of the season and gets Lance Berkman back from the DL on Tuesday

Hardball Talk:
Astros: 29th
The Astros have hit three home runs this year. Three. That's only three more than you've hit.

USA Today:
Astros: 29th

Hey, in this one...we're not last.

In Frankie Piliere's Farm System Rankings for FanHouse, he places the Astros delicately at #29:

It may not seem that way given this ranking, but Houston is headed in the right direction. Jason Castro has been strong and proved many doubters wrong. At the lower levels, a number of high-upside arms like Jordan Lyles and Ross Seaton have emerged. There is work to be done, but the Astros are on track.

He also has two members of Eddie's Farm in the Top 100 prospects list: Jason Castro (#27), and Jordan Lyles (#99).